How Skeptics Might Save the World by Mick West

In the wake of widespread drone scares across Europe—sparked by war in Ukraine and fears of Russian "hybrid warfare"—Mick West examines how airport shutdowns, military alerts, and even assassination rumors were driven largely by eyewitness misidentifications of ordinary aircraft and lights in the sky. Drawing on investigative work from his Metabunk community and video recreations using flight data, he argues that scientific skepticism is essential for separating real threats from panic-fueled error—especially when geopolitical tensions make overreaction both tempting and dangerous. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/02/how-skeptics-might-save-the-world/ About the Author: Mick West is a writer, investigator, and debunker who enjoys looking into the evidence behind conspiracy theories and strange phenomena and then explaining what is actually going on. He runs the Metabunk forum, tweets @mickwest, and is the author of the book "Escaping the Rabbit Hole". Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/